In wireless networks such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), several link or physical layer (PHY) parameters and protocol layer or Media Access Control (MAC) parameters present opportunities for more efficient network management. Typically, such parameters are independently adapted without considering their interaction with each other. Further, some aspects of current wireless network management protocol stack implementations are based on assumptions that can limit network effectiveness in a high-density environment. For example, in typical high-density (HD) WLAN networks, losses caused by hidden terminals are often broadly attributed to packet collisions, although such an assumption may trigger Binary Exponential Backoff (BEB) and other issues that may lead to network throughput degradation.
Recent research efforts have been dedicated to enhancing spatial reuse in order to improve network capacity in HD WLANs. Such efforts generally fall into one of three categories: Physical Carrier Sensing (PCS) threshold adaptation, Transmit Power Control (TPC) adaptation and joint PCS and TPC adaptation. PCS adaptation may involve adjusting the transmitter energy level used to determine channel state prior to channel access while TPC adaptation may involve adjusting the actual power emitted onto a channel.